Targeted venue message distribution

ABSTRACT

An application server may receive, from an administrative console, a message and a targeting specification. The targeting specification identifies at least one trait (e.g., ticket type, age, gender) shared by a group of targeted venue guests. The group of targeted venue guests is a subset of the plurality of venue guests of a venue. The application server then uses information obtained from venue guest devices corresponding to venue guests to identify who belongs to the group targeted venue guests as well as their corresponding targeted venue guest devices. The application server then transmits a message to the targeted venue guest devices. The message may further be transmitted according to a schedule set or triggers by the administrator console. The schedule may identify dates and times within which messages should be sent, while the triggers may identify locations that may trigger messages.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation and claims the prioritybenefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/138,157 filed Apr. 25,2016, issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 9,813,855, which claims the prioritybenefit of U.S. provisional application No. 62/151,885 filed Apr. 23,2015 which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is in the field of messaging. More particularly,the present invention is in the field of targeted delivery of contextualmessaging to guests inside a venue.

2. Description of the Related Art

Entertainment and event venues such as theme parks, cruise ships,universities, arenas, concert venues, ski resorts, relaxation resorts,ice rinks, spas, skate parks, and stadiums typically have large numbersof visitors/guests and typically each have multiple “points ofinterest,” corresponding to locations of attractions such asrestaurants, cafeterias, concession stands, stores, libraries, themepark rides, theatre shows, movies circus/animal shows. Points ofinterest may also include locations of restrooms, water fountains,entrances, exits, or crossroads.

Typically, an entertainment venue wanting to send a message to itsguests would need to send the message to all visitors at once, such asby sending a message to all registered ticket holders, students, staff,or the like. Such a message may not be relevant to all guests of theentertainment venue, but would be sent to all guests regardless.

Entertainment venues typically do not have access to information abouteach of their guests, such as the guest's identity as well as theguest's location (or proximity to points of interest) at any particulartime of day. More generally, entertainment venues typically do not evenknow how many guests are within the venue at a given time.

There is a need for an improved way of managing venue information andusing venue information to aid in targeted distribution of messages toguests in a venue.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTLY CLAIMED INVENTION

A first claimed embodiment of the present invention involves a methodfor message distribution associated with a venue and includes receivinginformation associated with a plurality of venue guests corresponding toa plurality of guest devices. The method also includes receiving amessage, receiving targeting specifications identifying a trait sharedamong one or more targeted venue guests, and identifying the one or moretargeted venue guests as a subset of the plurality of venue guests basedon the targeting specifications and the received information. The methodalso includes transmitting the message to one or more targeted venueguest devices corresponding to the one or more targeted venue guests.

A second claimed embodiment of the present invention includes acommunication transceiver, a memory, and a processor. The communicationtransceiver is communicatively coupled to at least a plurality of venueguest devices corresponding to a plurality of venue guests. Thecommunication transceiver receives information associated with aplurality of venue guests, a message, and targeting specificationsidentifying a trait shared among one or more targeted venue guests. Theprocessor may be coupled to the memory and to the communicationtransceiver. Execution of instructions stored in the memory by theprocessor performs system operations. The system operations includeidentifying the one or more targeted venue guests as a subset of theplurality of venue guests based on the targeting specifications and thereceived information. The system operations also include transmittingthe message via the communication transceiver to one or more targetedvenue guest devices corresponding to the one or more targeted venueguests.

A third-claimed embodiment of the present invention concerns anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereona program executable by a processor to perform a method for messagedistribution associated with a venue. The method includes receivinginformation associated with a plurality of venue guests corresponding toa plurality of guest devices, receiving a message, and receivingtargeting specifications identifying a trait shared among one or moretargeted venue guests. The executable method also includes identifyingthe one or more targeted venue guests as a subset of the plurality ofvenue guests based on the targeting specifications and the receivedinformation. The executed method also includes transmitting the messageto one or more targeted venue guest devices corresponding to the one ormore targeted venue guests.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a messaging ecosystem.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary operations fororganizing targeted delivery of messages based on administrator consoleinputs.

FIG. 3A illustrates a promotional message user interface associated witha restaurant, the promotional message including a map view of therestaurant location.

FIG. 3B illustrates a distorted map user interface providing directionsfrom a user location to the restaurant location.

FIG. 4 illustrates a notification user interface identifying multiplemessages.

FIG. 5A illustrates an administrative console user interface forgenerating a message.

FIG. 5B illustrates an administrative console user interface forscheduling delivery of a message.

FIG. 5C illustrates an administrative console user interface fortargeting delivery of a message.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing device that may beused to implement an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An application server may receive, from an administrative console, amessage and a targeting specification. The targeting specificationidentifies at least one trait (e.g., ticket type, age, gender) shared bya group of targeted venue guests. The group of targeted venue guests isa subset of the plurality of venue guests of a venue. The applicationserver then uses information obtained from venue guest devicescorresponding to venue guests to identify who belongs to the grouptargeted venue guests as well as their corresponding targeted venueguest devices. The application server then transmits a message to thetargeted venue guest devices. The message may further be transmittedaccording to a schedule set or triggers by the administrator console.The schedule may identify dates and times within which messages shouldbe sent, while the triggers may identify locations that may triggermessages.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a messaging ecosystem 100. The messagingecosystem 100 may be used within a venue with multiple points ofinterest. The venue may be an entertainment venue or an event venues,which may for example be a theme park, a cruise ship, a school, auniversity, an arena, a concert venue, a ski resort, a relaxationresort, an ice rink, a shopping mall, a spa, a skate park, or a stadium.The points of interest of the venue may identify locations associatedwith attractions such as restaurants, cafeterias, concession stands,stores, libraries, theme park rides, theatre shows, movies circus shows,animal shows, or costumed characters. Points of interest may alsoinclude locations associated with restrooms, water fountains, entrances,exits, or crossroads. An area such as an attraction or a restroom may beassociated with multiple points of interest, for example correspondingto entrances and exits, or to multiple points of sale (e.g., multiplecashiers or card readers).

At the center of the messaging ecosystem 100 is one or more applicationserver(s) 125, which obtain information 140 from one or more datasource(s) 105 and, via the communication network 130, transmits messagesto one or more front-end device(s) 135 based on the information 140. Theapplication server(s) 125 and data source(s) 105 may be located insideor outside the entertainment venue. The front-end devices 135 receivingthe messages are generally located within the entertainment venue, butin some cases may be outside of it as well (e.g., a mobile device of aguest who is about to enter the entertainment venue).

The data sources 105 may include mobile devices 110 (including wearabledevices), point-of-entry or point-of-exit terminals/beacons 115A,point-of-service terminals 115B (e.g., cash registers, credit cardreaders, electronic payment receivers), and database(s) 120. These datasource(s) 105 may provide information 140 in the form of globalpositioning system (GPS) data or beacon proximity data (e.g., based onPOE beacons 115A). The information 140 may also include social mediadata related to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, orother social media accounts. Such social media data may include profileinformation, friend information, photos, message information, or somecombination thereof. The information 140 may also include logininformation, guest settings, guest disability information, guestreservation status information, guest demographic information,entitlement information, customer relationship management (CRM) softwareinformation, weather information, queue length information, or somecombination thereof. Any of these types of information may be used bythe application server(s) 125 to target certain guests or groups ofguests for delivery of messages.

The data sources 105 may also include information 140 from anadministrator console 145 (e.g., which may in some cases be coupled tothe database 120, or to a mobile device 110, or to a point of serviceterminal 115B, or to a point of entry/exit terminal 115A). Theinformation 140 from the administrator console 145 may be generated viaan administrator user interface such as those illustrated in FIG. 5A,FIG. 5B, and FIG. 5C, and may dictate the contents of a message sent tothe front-end devices 135, defining a trigger for sending the message(e.g., a particular time/date, upon detecting that a device isentering/leaving a particular location or attraction), as well asdefining what types of front-end devices 135 should receive the message(e.g., devices outside/within/entering/leaving a particular location,devices corresponding to a user that is part of a particulardemographic, devices corresponding to a user with a particular gender orage other profile trait, or some combination thereof).

A mobile device 110 of a guest of the entertainment venue may be both adata source 105 (e.g., by providing GPS/beacon location data and profiledata to the application servers 125) and a front-end device 135 thatreceives messages transmitted by the application servers 125 over thecommunication network 130. Such a mobile device 110 may include one ormore elements from a computer system 600 as illustrated in FIG. 6, or atleast may include at least a subset of the components illustrated withinthe computer system 600 of FIG. 6.

The mobile device 110 may be a wearable device (also known as a“wearable”), meaning any type of mobile electronic device that can beworn on the body or attached to or embedded in clothes and accessoriesof an individual. Mobile devices 110 can execute an application (e.g.,which may be embedded within an operating system, produced by a thirdparty, or some combination thereof) that shares customer engagementinformation 140 with a venue's application server(s) 125. Such customerengagement data information 140 may include current and prior physicallocale or customer wait times and travel times (e.g., how long was acustomer at a particular point in a venue and how long did it take thecustomer to travel to a further point in a venue), paths to certainpoint on the map, and other information.

Processors and sensors associated with a mobile device 110 can gather,process, display, and transmit and receive information. In some cases,the mobile device 110 of a guest may in fact include multiple electronicdevices, such as a wearable device wirelessly connected to a “smart”phone, wherein both the wearable device and the “smart” phone includesensors that help obtain information 140 that is then passed to theapplication server(s) 125. Both the wearable device and the “smart”phone can receive messages as front-end devices 135 in such aconfiguration.

POS data may be gathered at a sales terminal 115 that may interact witha mobile or wearable device 110 to track customer purchase history at avenue or preference for engagement at a particular locale within thevenue. POE terminals 115 may provide data related to venue traffic flow,including entry and exit data that can be inclusive of time and volume.POE terminals 115 may likewise interact with mobile and wearable devices110.

Historical data may also be accessed at databases 120 as a part of theapplication server 125 processing operation. The results of a processingor normalization operation may likewise be stored for later access anduse. Processing and normalization results may also be delivered tofront-end applications (and corresponding application servers) thatallow for the deployment of contextual experiences and provide a networkof services to remote devices as is further described herein.

The present system 100 may be used with and communicate with any numberof external front-end devices 135 by way of communications network 130.Communication network 130 may be or include an “intranet,” e.g., apersonal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN), a municipal area network (MAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), or some combination thereof. In some cases, thecommunication network 130 may include Internet connectivity.Communication network 130 may include a variety of connected computingdevices that provide one or more elements of a network-based service.The communications network 130 may include actual server hardware orvirtual hardware simulated by software running on one or more actualmachines thereby allowing for software controlled scaling in a cloudenvironment.

Communication network 130 allows for communication between data sources105 and front-end devices 135 via any number of various communicationpaths or channels that collectively make up network 130. Such paths andchannels may operate utilizing any number of standards or protocolsincluding TCP/IP, 802.11, Bluetooth, GSM, GPRS, 4G, and LTE.Communications network 130 may be a local area network (LAN) that can becommunicatively coupled to a network and/or the Internet operatingthrough one or more network service provider(s).

Information received and provided over communications network 130 may bebased on (or come from) other information systems such as the globalpositioning system (GPS), cellular service providers, or third-partyservice providers such as social networks. The system 100 can measurelocation and proximity using hardware on a user device (e.g., GPS) orcollect the data from fixed hardware and infrastructure such as Wi-Fipositioning systems and Radio Frequency ID (RFID) readers. An exemplarylocation and proximity implementation may include a Bluetooth low-energybeacon with real time proximity detection that can be correlated tolatitude/longitude measurements for fixed beacon locations.

Additional use cases may include phone-based, GPS, real-time location(latitude/longitude) measurements, phone geo-fence real timenotifications when a device is moving into or out of location regions,Wi-Fi positioning involving user location detection based on Wi-Fisignal strength (both active or passive), RFID, Near Field Communication(NFC), and cellular tower positioning involving wide range detection ofuser device location, which may occur at the metro-level.

Front-end devices 135 are inclusive of kiosks, mobile devices, wearabledevices, venue devices, captive portals, digital signs, and POS and POEdevices. It should be noted that each of these external devices may beused to gather information about one or more consumers at a particularlocation during a particular time. Thus, a device that is providinginformation to a customer on the front-end (i.e., a front-end device135) such as a mobile device executing an application or a speciallydesigned wearable can also function as a data source 105 as describedabove.

The ecosystem 100 of FIG. 1 provides services to connect venuemanagement with visitors and entertainment consumers whilesimultaneously providing a messaging platform for consumers. Forexample, the social network of a consumer may be extended into a map andthe physical world associated with the map. Services to extend thesocial network of a user include finding friends, coordinating rallypoints, management of proximity based parental controls, serendipitousdiscovery, and customization and sharing of photos. Venue management mayprovision consumers with badges, points and rewards, coordinatescavenger hunts and competitions, and provide leaderboard and triviaservices. Consumers may also be engaged by collecting feedback andreviews of their experiences, managing favorites and wish lists,conducting surveys and interactive voting, and through the display ofmessages.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary operations 200 fororganizing targeted delivery of messages based on administrator consoleinputs.

A promotional message may be generated (e.g., automatically, accordingto user administrator input via admin console user interface, or somecombination thereof) at step 205. The message may include text (e.g.,optionally including hyperlinks), graphics (e.g., including images, GIFanimations, video), and other media (e.g., audio, document files).

A title for the message may be set (e.g., automatically, according touser administrator input via admin console user interface, or somecombination thereof) at step 210. The title may be unique for theparticular venue. In some instances, the title may only be permitted tobe used by a particular administrative console (e.g., such as when thetitle includes a name of the entertainment venue or of an entertainer atthe entertainment venue).

A message type may be selected at step 215. Examples of message typeinclude an alert (e.g., of an emergency, of an upcoming attraction, ofan attraction closure, or an attraction queue wait time), an offer(e.g., discount, exclusive availability), and product message (e.g.,advertising an upcoming attraction). A trigger may be selected at step220.

The trigger of step 220 may include broadcasting, multicasting, orunicasting (e.g., direct messaging) the message to guests who arecurrently inside the venue, who are currently entering or have recentlyentered the venue, who are currently exiting or have recently exited thevenue, guests who are currently near a particular point of interest(POI), guests who are currently nearing or have recently come into thevicinity of a particular point of interest (POI), guests who arecurrently leaving or have recently left the vicinity of a particularpoint of interest (POI), or some combination thereof. The trigger ofstep 220 may also include a time component, such as broadcasting themessage at a particular time of day (e.g., according to a clock,according to a countdown timer, according to a count-up timer, accordingto a daily occurrence such as sunrise or sunset, according to a calendardate, or some combination thereof). If the trigger(s) selected in step220 include trigger(s) based on one or more points of interest, thesemay be selected at step 225.

A point of interest may be an attraction or particular location within avenue such as a restaurant, cafeteria, concession stand, store, library,or theme park ride. Points of interests may also be specific locationsfor the occurrence of a one-off event or “flash” event such as a specialone-time guest appearance or the like. Each attraction may includemultiple points of interest (e.g., separate points of interest for anentrance and for an exit). The point of interest may correspond to alocation within the event venue that includes a hardware beacon that canhelp identify nearby devices via a wireless protocol (e.g., Bluetooth,802.11 Wi-Fi, near-field-communication, radio-frequency identification).

A determination as to whether a message should be scheduled isdetermined at step 230. The schedule may include a date range, days ofweek, time sent, and other scheduling information for sending themessage. A schedule, if desired, may be configured at step 235.

In some instances, the configuration of the schedule may be differentfor “broadcast” messages that might be sent to all or a larger group ata particular time or date, compared to “triggered” messages that aretriggered by a certain detected situation. Some messages might be somecombination of broadcast messages and triggered messages. Triggermessages might be triggered, for example, by a guest's arrival at thevenue, by the guest's exit from the venue, by the guest's arrival at apoint of interest, by the guest's exit from a point of interest, by theguest staying at a point of interest for a predetermined period of time,by an estimated or actual wait time at a particular point interest(e.g., a promotion coupon message as a reward for waiting in line or atimed promotion coupon to incentivize leaving the line), estimatedfuture wait times at a point of interest, or a combination of multipletrigger rules (e.g., a message might be triggered by a guest arriving atan identified first point of interest, spending at least a predeterminedamount of time at the first point of interest, and then arriving at anidentified second point of interest). Broadcast messages may occur at aspecific time of day (e.g., anyone inside the venue at 2 μm). Triggersmay likewise be tied to a time-range (e.g., anyone who leaves aparticular point of interest between 2-4 μm). The trigger and schedulingrules described above may be used for targeting guests so that allguests fulfilling such conditions should be sent a particular message(e.g., all guests leaving a particular amusement park ride arerecommended a similar ride elsewhere in the venue), or a random fractionof guests fulfilling such conditions (e.g. a random one-fourth of theguests at a certain point of interest receive a coupon promotion messagefor a nearby restaurant). Various combinations of scheduled broadcastand triggers are possible in organizing delivery of a particularmessage. For example, a guest coming near a restaurant point of interestwithin an evening time range may receive a message identifying dinnerpromotions, whereas the same guest coming near the same restaurant pointof interest at an afternoon or morning time range might instead receivea message identifying lunch or breakfast promotions.

A determination is made at step 240 as to whether any user segmentsshould be added as recipients to the message. These might include guestdemographics, guests located in certain areas, guests entering intocertain areas, guests exiting from certain areas. If no further usersegments should be added, a determination is made as to whether anexpiration time and/or date of the message is inherited (e.g., fromanother message) at step 245. This might include how long a promotion inthe message is valid for, or for how long the message is relevant andappears in an inbox or message feed of a receiving front-end device.

Expiration time is set at step 250. Regardless of whether the expirationtime/date is determined by the administrator console 145 in step 250 orinherited automatically at step 245, the design of the messagedetermined at step 255. This design may occur automatically, via inputat the administrator console 145, or some combination thereof. Themessage is sent at step 260.

FIG. 3A illustrates an promotional message user interface associatedwith a restaurant. As illustrated, the promotional message includes amap view of the restaurant location. The promotional message userinterface is illustrated being displayed via a display screen of anexemplary front-end device 360 such as a cellular phone and/or portablemedia player device.

The promotional message user interface includes a header 310, which inthe case of the promotional message of FIG. 3A, identifies that thepromotional message includes a coupon with a barcode. The header 310also includes an image of a restaurant full of patrons eating food.

The promotional message user interface also includes a “promotionaldetails” section 315. As illustrated here, the promotional coupon inquestion is valid for “20% off all kids meals” at the restaurant“Rivertown LaRosa's Pizza,” which is “Located in Rivertown” and sells“fresh baked LaRosa's pizza, breadsticks, salads, hoagies, and ice coldbeer.” The “promotional details” section 315 includes a “barcode” button350 which, when pressed/touched, can trigger a barcode to be displayedvia the display screen of the front-end device 360 and that can then bescanned by staff at the entertainment venue. Display of the code mightbe a traditional one-dimensional barcode or a two-dimensionalquick-response “QR” code. The “promotional details” section 315 includesa “map” button 355 which, when pressed/touched, can trigger display ofthe distorted map user interface of FIG. 3B.

The promotional message user interface also includes a “mini-map”section 320. This section includes a marker 325 identifying the locationof “Rivertown LaRosa's Pizza” within the event venue. The mini-map maybe distorted as described with respect to the distorted map 335 of FIG.3B. The map may also be entirely to scale. The promotional message userinterface includes an application navigation bar 305 with a“notifications” button, allowing a guest to transition to a notificationuser interface such as the one illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 3B illustrates an distorted map user interface providing directionsfrom a user location to the restaurant location. The distorted map userinterface is illustrated being displayed via a display screen of anexemplary front-end device 360 (e.g., a cellular phone and/or portablemedia player device). The distorted map user interface of FIG. 3Bincludes a map 335, which includes a marker 325 identifying the locationof “Rivertown LaRosa's Pizza” within the event venue. The map asillustrated also includes a second marker 340 identifying the locationof a guest associated with the front-end device 360. The map asillustrated here also includes an illustrated line 345 identifying apath that the guest could take to reach the marked location 325 of“Rivertown LaRosa's Pizza.”

The map 335 of FIG. 3B is distorted in that it is not illustratedentirely to scale. In particular, certain areas may be illustrated at acloser scale (i.e., more “zoomed in”) than other areas. This differsfrom a “pinch and zoom” implementation that is popular in many mappingsolutions or mobile devices. This distorted implementation automaticallyzooms in on relevant mapping areas and can adjust if a user were tomanipulate the map area in order to best focus on the relevant arearegardless of overall map scale.

For example, in the map 335 of FIG. 3B, an area including the guestlocation marker 340 and the restaurant location marker 325 isillustrated at a closer “more zoomed in” scale (e.g., a 1:10 scale).Areas of the entertainment venue that are farther away from the guestlocation marker 340 and the restaurant location marker 325 areillustrated at a farther “more zoomed out” scale (e.g., a 1:100 scale).Each “area” may be of uniform scale, or may have a gradualincrease/decrease in scale internally, or some combination thereof.

For example, an area including guest location marker 340 and restaurantlocation marker 325 could gradually have a farther “more zoomed out”scale towards the edges of the area. The areas could be segmentedinternally as well—for example, a sub-area including the guest locationmarker 340 may be illustrated at a closer scale (e.g., a 1:5 scale) thanan area including the restaurant location marker 325 (e.g., a 1:15scale), or vice versa. It should be noted that while FIG. 3B illustratesthe map 335 as distorted, in some cases, it may instead be an ordinarymap (i.e., entirely at one scale). The distorted map user interface ofFIG. 3B also includes an app navigation bar 330 with a “coupon” button,allowing a guest to transition to the promotional message user interfaceof FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 illustrates an notification user interface identifying multiplemessages. The message feed user interface is illustrated being displayedvia a display screen of an exemplary front-end device 460 (e.g., acellular phone and/or portable media player device). While front-enddevice 460 of FIG. 4 is illustrated in an exaggerated manner with avertically lengthy display, it should be understood that the proportionsof the front-end device 460 could be closer to those of exemplaryfront-end device 360, and that the notification user interface of FIG. 4could include a scroll bar or other scrolling mechanism to scrollthrough the notification user interface of FIG. 4, for example viatouchscreen gestures (e.g., swipes), mouse movements, mouse clicks,scroll wheel/ball movements, or some combination thereof.

The notification user interface of FIG. 4 includes a message feed 405that lists summaries such as shortened versions or headers portions suchas header 310 of FIG. 3A of various types of messages. These mightinclude survey messages (e.g., message summary 415),advertisement/informational messages (e.g., message summary 420), andpromotional discount coupon messages (e.g., message summary 425.Summaries may also include message summary 435, message summary 440,promotional exclusive offer messages such as message summary 430, andmap location messages like message summary 445, which identifies a“white water canyon” location 450.

Each message summary identifies an expiration time, ranging from anumber of minutes (e.g., message summary 440, message summary 445), to anumber of hours (e.g., message summary 425, message summary 430, messagesummary 435), and ultimately to a number of days (e.g., message summary415, message summary 420, message summary 425). Each of these messagesummaries can be interacted with (e.g., via a mouse click or atouchscreen touch or gesture) and thereby expanded into a full message.For example, the promotional discount coupon message summary 435, whichis similar to header 310 of FIG. 3A, may be touched/clicked to expandinto the promotional message user interface of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 5A illustrates an administrative console user interface forgenerating a message. The administrative console user interface of FIG.5A includes a map 550 illustrating the entertainment venue (“AquaPark”). The administrative console user interface also includes amessage simulation 510 filled in with details based on the fields on theright-hand side, the fields including a message title field 515 (“MyMessage Title”), an in-app notification message field 520 (“Body of mymessage”), a link identifier field 525 (“Wave Beach” with a URLcorresponding to the “wave beach” location on the map 550), a link typefield 530 (“offer”), and a link sub-type field 535, under which adrop-down menu specifies that the selected offer 540 is “Free GameShot!”

Draft messages can be marked with “Draft” status and either a completebutton or a send button 545. A ‘complete’ button may appear if the draftcontains missing/incorrect information, such as empty fields or aschedule containing dates in the past. A “send” button 545 appears inFIG. 5A, allowing the administrator to send the message as it appears inthe message simulation 510.

FIG. 5B illustrates an administrative console user interface forscheduling delivery of a message. The administrative console userinterface of FIG. 5B is illustrated without the map 550 or messagesimulation 510 of FIG. 5A, but it should be understood that one or bothof these elements may be included in some embodiments.

The administrative console user interface of FIG. 5B allows anadministrator to schedule a message (e.g., the message of messagesimulation 510 of FIG. 5A) to be sent according to a schedule. Theschedule of FIG. 5B is defined by dates 555 (e.g., from Feb. 10, 2015 toan unspecified date), days of the week (e.g., weekdays), and times 560(e.g., from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.). Messages sent according to theschedule of FIG. 5B have a defined expiration time 565 (e.g., the end ofthe day).

Messages scheduled for delivery may be marked with the “Scheduled”status and their active dates on the manage screen. Previously launched,unscheduled messages may be marked as “Ready.” The last updated timewill show the last time the message was sent out or had its schedulechanged.

FIG. 5C illustrates an administrative console user interface fortargeting delivery of a message. The administrative console userinterface of FIG. 5C is illustrated without the map 550 or messagesimulation 510 of FIG. 5A. It should be understood, however, that one orboth of these elements may be included in some embodiments.

The administrative console user interface of FIG. 5C allows anadministrator to define a trigger 570 for the message (e.g., the messageof message simulation 510 of FIG. 5A). In FIG. 5C, the trigger 570 is aguest's arrival at a point of interest (i.e., “POI arrival” 575). Afield underneath field 575 allows the administrator to select a point ofinterest.

The administrative console supports user-triggered messages via, forexample, Venue Entry, Venue Exit, and Point of Interest arrival. Toschedule triggered messages, an administrator may select a time range,days of the week and date range for the message to automatically send.For example, a message may have a schedule from 12 to 2 pm on weekendsfrom January 1^(st) through January 15th.

Scheduling a triggered message need not change the status or delivery ofother messages associated with that trigger. Since messages may betargeted to different user segments, multiple messages may be active thesame time. When a scheduled message activates, it will be deliveredalongside any other active messages until its schedule expires, ischanged or is deactivated.

All triggered messages currently being sent to users are marked with the“Active” status on the Manage screen. Messages scheduled for delivery ata later time are marked with “Scheduled” and their date range. Messagesnot actively sending to users are marked as “Inactive.” Deactivating ascheduled message will remove its schedule and change its status toInactive.

The administrative console user interface of FIG. 5C allows anadministrator to target a message (e.g., the message of messagesimulation 510 of FIG. 5A) to one or more specific user segment(s) 580.For example, a first targeting field 585 identifies that theadministrator wishes to target the message toward guests having eitheran active annual pass or an expired annual pass. A second targetingfield 590 identifies that the administrator wishes to target the messagetoward guests whose annual passes are/were “platinum” tier or “premium”tier rather than “gold” tier.

As old messages accumulate, an administrator may archive messages theywill no longer send out. This will hide them from view but still makethem available for reporting. Triggered messages are in-app and pushnotifications sent to individual users when they enter or leave an area.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computing system 600 that may be used toimplement an embodiment of the present invention. For example, any ofthe computer systems or computerized devices described herein may, in atleast some cases, be a computing system 600 and/or include at least asubset of the components illustrated in FIG. 6. The computing system 600of FIG. 6 includes one or more processors 610 and memory 610. Mainmemory 610 stores, in part, instructions and data for execution byprocessor 610. Main memory 610 can store the executable code when inoperation. The system 600 of FIG. 6 further includes a mass storagedevice 630, portable storage medium drive(s) 640, output devices 650,user input devices 660, a graphics display 670, and peripheral devices680.

The components shown in FIG. 6 are depicted as being connected via asingle bus 690. However, the components may be connected through one ormore data transport means. For example, processor unit 610 and mainmemory 610 may be connected via a local microprocessor bus, and the massstorage device 630, peripheral device(s) 680, portable storage device640, and display system 670 may be connected via one or moreinput/output (I/O) buses.

Mass storage device 630, which may be implemented with a magnetic diskdrive or an optical disk drive, is a non-volatile storage device forstoring data and instructions for use by processor unit 610. Massstorage device 630 can store the system software for implementingembodiments of the present invention for purposes of loading thatsoftware into main memory 610.

Portable storage device 640 operates in conjunction with a portablenon-volatile storage medium, such as a floppy disk, compact disk orDigital video disc, to input and output data and code to and from thecomputer system 600 of FIG. 6. The system software for implementingembodiments of the present invention may be stored on such a portablemedium and input to the computer system 600 via the portable storagedevice 640.

Input devices 660 provide a portion of a user interface. Input devices660 may include an alpha-numeric keypad, such as a keyboard, forinputting alpha-numeric and other information, or a pointing device,such as a mouse, a trackball, stylus, or cursor direction keys.Additionally, the system 600 as shown in FIG. 6 includes output devices650. Examples of suitable output devices include speakers, printers,network interfaces, and monitors.

Display system 670 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasmadisplay, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, an electronicink display, a projector-based display, a holographic display, oranother suitable display device. Display system 670 receives textual andgraphical information, and processes the information for output to thedisplay device. The display system 670 may include multiple-touchtouchscreen input capabilities, such as capacitive touch detection,resistive touch detection, surface acoustic wave touch detection, orinfrared touch detection. Such touchscreen input capabilities may or maynot allow for variable pressure or force detection.

Peripherals 680 may include any type of computer support device to addadditional functionality to the computer system. For example, peripheraldevice(s) 680 may include a modem or a router.

The components contained in the computer system 600 of FIG. 6 are thosetypically found in computer systems that may be suitable for use withembodiments of the present invention and are intended to represent abroad category of such computer components that are well known in theart. Thus, the computer system 600 of FIG. 6 can be a personal computer,a hand held computing device, a telephone (“smart” or otherwise), amobile computing device, a workstation, a server (on a server rack orotherwise), a minicomputer, a mainframe computer, a tablet computingdevice, a wearable device (such as a watch, a ring, a pair of glasses,or another type of jewelry/clothing/accessory), a video game console(portable or otherwise), an e-book reader, a media player device(portable or otherwise), a vehicle-based computer, some combinationthereof, or any other computing device. The computer system 600 may insome cases be a virtual computer system executed by another computersystem. The computer can also include different bus configurations,networked platforms, multi-processor platforms, etc. Various operatingsystems can be used including Unix, Linux, Windows, Macintosh OS, PalmOS, Android, iOS, and other suitable operating systems.

In some cases, the computer system 600 may be part of a multi-computersystem that uses multiple computer systems 600 (e.g., for one or morespecific tasks or purposes). For example, the multi-computer system mayinclude multiple computer systems 400 communicatively coupled togethervia one or more private networks (e.g., at least one LAN, WLAN, MAN, orWAN), or may include multiple computer systems 600 communicativelycoupled together via the internet (e.g., a “distributed” system), orsome combination thereof.

While various flow diagrams provided and described above may show aparticular order of operations performed by certain embodiments of theinvention, it should be understood that such order is exemplary (e.g.,alternative embodiments may perform the operations in a different order,combine certain operations, overlap certain operations, etc.).

The foregoing detailed description of the technology has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise form disclosed.Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteaching. The described embodiments were chosen in order to best explainthe principles of the technology, its practical application, and toenable others skilled in the art to utilize the technology in variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of thetechnology be defined by the claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for message distribution associated witha previously defined venue area, the method comprising: receiving alocation of a first venue guest device located within the previouslydefined venue area, the first venue guest device corresponding to avenue guest located within the previously defined venue area, whereinthe first venue guest device is one of a plurality of venue guestdevices; identifying that locations of the plurality of venue guestdevices, including the location of the first venue guest device, are ina vicinity of a first point of interest within the previously definedvenue area, the first point of interest having a queue; generating anestimated queue wait time for the queue based on at least the locationof the first venue guest device; generating a timed promotion messagecorresponding to a second point of interest within the previouslydefined venue area, wherein the timed promotion message is set to expireat an expiration time that is based on the estimated queue wait time;selecting a subset of the plurality of venue guest devices at random tocomprise a predetermined fraction of the plurality of venue guestdevices; and transmitting the timed promotion message to the subset ofthe plurality of venue guest devices in response to identifying that thelocations of the plurality of venue guest devices are in the vicinity ofthe first point of interest.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising receiving each of the locations of the plurality of venueguest devices, wherein generating the estimated queue wait time for thequeue is based on at least the locations of the plurality of venue guestdevices.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a guestwait time from the first venue guest device, wherein generating theestimated queue wait time for the queue is based on the guest wait time.4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a guest traveltime from the first venue guest device, wherein generating the estimatedqueue wait time for the queue is based on the guest travel time.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising retrieving a queue length, whereingenerating the estimated queue wait time for the queue is based on thequeue length.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifyingthat the first venue guest device has waited in the vicinity of thefirst point of interest for at least a predetermined guest wait timebased on receipt of the location of the first venue guest device,wherein transmitting the timed promotion message to the subset of theplurality of venue guest devices is further in response to identifyingthat the first venue guest device has waited in the vicinity of thefirst point of interest for at least the predetermined guest wait time.7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a scheduleidentifying a set of one or more selected days of the week, whereintransmitting the timed promotion message to the subset of the pluralityof venue guest devices is further in response to identifying that acurrent date falls on one of the set of one or more selected days of theweek.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a scheduleidentifying a selected time range, wherein transmitting the timedpromotion message to the subset of the plurality of venue guest devicesis further in response to identifying that a current time falls withinthe selected time range.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the timedpromotion message includes a map showing at least a location of thesecond point of interest.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein thepredetermined fraction is one-fourth.
 11. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising receiving information about a plurality of venue guestsincluding the first venue guest, the information identifying that atleast the first venue guest is characterized by a first gender, whereintransmitting the timed promotion message to the subset of the pluralityof venue guest devices is further in response to identifying that thefirst venue guest is characterized by the first gender.
 12. A system formessage distribution associated with a previously defined venue area,the system comprising: a communication transceiver communicativelycoupled to at least a plurality of venue guest devices located insidethe previously defined venue area corresponding to a plurality of venueguests located inside the previously defined venue area, wherein thecommunication transceiver receives a location of a first venue guestdevice of the plurality of venue guest devices corresponding to a firstvenue guest of the plurality of venue guests, wherein the communicationtransceiver transmits a timed promotion message to a subset of theplurality of venue guest devices in response to identifying thatlocations of the plurality of venue guest devices are in a vicinity of afirst point of interest in the previously defined venue area; a memorystoring instructions; and a processor, wherein execution of theinstructions by the processor causes the processor to: identify that thelocations of the plurality of venue guest devices, including thelocation of the first venue guest device, are in the vicinity of thefirst point of interest within the previously defined venue area, thefirst point of interest having a queue, generate an estimated queue waittime for the queue based on at least the location of the first venueguest device, generate the timed promotion message corresponding to asecond point of interest within the previously defined venue area,wherein the timed promotion message is set to expire at an expirationtime that is based on the estimated queue wait time, and select thesubset of the plurality of venue guest devices at random to comprise apredetermined fraction of the plurality of venue guest devices.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the communication transceiver receives thelocation of the first venue guest device from the first venue guestdevice.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the location of the firstvenue guest device is determined by the first venue guest device using aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver of the first venue guestdevice.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the location of the firstvenue guest device is determined based on proximity of the first venueguest device to a beacon device that communicates wirelessly with thefirst venue guest device.
 16. The system of claim 12, wherein thecommunication transceiver receives the location of the first venue guestdevice from a point-of-service (POS) terminal located within thepreviously defined venue area.
 17. The system of claim 12, whereinexecution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor toidentify that the first venue guest device has waited in the vicinity ofthe first point of interest for at least a predetermined guest wait timebased on receipt of the location of the first venue guest device,wherein the communication transceiver transmits the timed promotionmessage to the subset of the plurality of venue guest devices further inresponse to identifying that the first venue guest device has waited inthe vicinity of the first point of interest for at least thepredetermined guest wait time.
 18. A method for message distributionassociated with a predefined venue area that encompasses a plurality oflocations, the method comprising: receiving guest location informationfrom a plurality of guest devices, the guest location informationindicating a respective location of each of the plurality of guestdevices within the predefined venue area; receiving triggerspecifications that include an outgoing message and a selected locationthat is selected from the plurality of locations encompassed within thepredefined venue area; identifying that the guest location informationindicates that the plurality guest devices are in a vicinity of theselected location within the predefined venue area; selecting a subsetof the plurality of guest devices at random to comprise a predeterminedfraction of the plurality of guest devices; and transmitting theoutgoing message to the subset of the plurality of guest devices inaccordance with the trigger specifications.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein the trigger specifications further comprise a previously definedschedule, the previously defined schedule identifying one or moreselected days of the week, wherein transmitting the outgoing message tothe subset of the plurality of guest devices is further based onidentifying that a current date falls on one of the one or more selecteddays of the week.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the triggerspecifications further comprise a previously defined schedule, thepreviously defined schedule identifying a selected time range, whereintransmitting the outgoing message to the subset of the plurality ofguest devices is further based on identifying that a current time fallswithin the selected time range.